hello, welcome back to nhk world "newsline." it's thursday april 12th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. everything seems to be ready to go on a launchpad in north korea. the question is what's being launched. they say they're carrying up a rocket to put a satellite into space and others say this is

technology for a ballistic missile. authorities for north korea space agency say their launch window is from now to monday. the ground crew started fueling up on wednesday. japan self-defense forces are ready to shoot down anything in their territory and the ships will analyze the flight and track trajectory armed with high force radar and interceptor missiles and two in ock ck kin naj najwa. >> and set up at four locations at ock kina wa in the flight path and others set up in the metropolitan flight area just in case. let's cross over to south korea. "nhk world" anna jong can update us on the situation on the country's west coast. anna.

hi, catherine. i'm standing on the peninsula, about 3 1/2 hours by car from seoul. behind me is the yellow sea. before the launch, experts estimated the first booster would drop off in the yellow sea 10 kilometers from here and residents were warned not to take their ships out to the sea for the time being. this area is a tourist spot, well-known for seafood, particularly a kind of small octopus popular with visitors. restaurant owners and fishermen are concerned their businesses might be hurt by any provocative action by north korea. the south korean government is taking steps to reinforce safety measures and protect against the missile launch. aircrafts and ships are being urged to make detours from thursday to monday around the

area where debris from the rocket is expected to fold to earth. back to you, catherine. >> all right. thanks very much, anna. that was anna jung from south korea. rachel joins us from the weather desk. >> yes. the weather will be a critical factor with an event like this. we do have precipitation moving across the korean peninsula and stly confined to south korea rather than north korea. north korea is staying mostly dry. you were talking earlier about the 5-day window starting today. thursday, friday, right through sunday, conditions look pretty good. monday will bring gusty winds and light precipitation. generally, the weather doesn't look like it's particularly problematic. back to you. >> thanks very much. we'll keep checking back with you for the latest conditions

there. south korean and japanese personnel are preparing to intercept anything that enters their airspace. they say they've dealt with such provocations before. >> reporter: north korea tested its first missile in 1933. it had a length of 101 kilometer, making it capable of reaching any part of japan or its territories. the first launch of a long range missile took place in 1998. that missile flew over japan before falling into the pacific ocean. in july, 2006, north korea carried out a series of tests over the sea of japan, firing seven missiles at once. one of them has a range of 6,000 kilometers. that means it is capable of reaching the mainland united states. three years later, pyongyang

tested an improved version of its long range missile. analysts believe they have several objectives, one is to enhance its military power and the north korean government also views its missile tests as a trump card in negotiations with the u.s. and analysts suspect north korea hopes to use missile technology exports as a source of revenue. >> earlier, my colleague spoke to someone on the latest development in north korea. he studies on these issues at the national graduate for policy studies in tokyo. now, professor, one side says this is a rocket and the other side says this is a missile launch. what is your opinion? >> north korea is likely to mount what they call satellite

on the missile. i can't be for certain whether it's a satellite or not. the rocket is believed to be a variant of another missile and very important whether the north succeeds putting what they call a satellite into orbit. previous attempts have failed. in 2009, the first and second stages of the booster flew well but the third one did not separate. if they succeed and puts the satellite into orbit, it will mean the country is capable of delivering a lightweight one to the country of the united states and would reinforce its discussions with washington. >> what distinguishes this from previous ones? >> the fact the missile is launched to the south. on the past three occasion, north korea launched the missiles to the east. since the spins to the east,

they would have greater variation flying eastward, then why are the north koreans launching the missile to the south. my guess is they're trying to assimilate an attack to the u.s. mainland and in order to do so, you have to send it to the north. if you do so, the first stage of booster will fall over china and the second one over russia. so you don't want to do that. as a result, the north koreans have decided to launch the missile to the south, where it has a clear path over the ocean. >> is the launch likely to succeed, do you think? >> north korea's launching more-or-less the same one launched in 2009, so north korea is using the proven technology. but then the missile flew more than 3,000 kilometers, however, in the past three flight tests north korea has never succeeded in launching what they call a satellite. so the missile launch is likely

to succeed but what they call a satellite might not be put into orbit. anyway, this is their fourth attempt. we will wait and see what happens. >> the ruling party has secured a majority in the general election in south korea. the victory for the party is a major boost fand she is expecte to run next year. they took 152 out of the 300 seats in parliament. the democratic united party took 127. the ruling party lost ten seats, but it will maintain its hold on parliament with a single party majority. party members struggled in an election that was seen as a referendum on the rule of lee

mumback. the gap between rich and poor only got wider. back said she ooh on voters seemed to agree with what she had to say. the opposition failed to an capitalize on the dissatisfaction. the result is expected to affect what happens in the presidential election in december. a tsunami watch has been lift lifted in indonesia. an earthquake occurred off the west coast of sumatra. a watch was issued after it hit mid afternoon wednesday. it reached 40 centimeters on northern sumatra. tsunami waves about 10 cemetese meters.

there were a series of aftershocks including a magnitude 8.8 quake that struck about two hours later. no major damage is reported on sumatra but indonesia's government has sent officials to nearby islands to assess the situation. it sparked repeat fears of the 2004 earthquake in sumatra followed by a huge tsunami that left more than 280,000 people dead or missing in indonesia and other countries on the indian ocean. a professor from the university of tokyo's earthquake research institute told us why the region escaped similar devastation this time. >> in this case, the tsunami was small, possibly because subterranean rocks during the quake slipped sideways without causing much tectonic defamation at the bottom of the sea.

syrian government officials have told u.n. kofi annan they will abide by a deadline for a cease-fire but say they reserve the right to respond to attacks by anti-government forces. annan said he received a letter from the administration of president bashar al said assad he will respond. they are warned the truce will not be implemented as scheduled. >> nothing casts more doubt on the credibility of the commitment on the fact commitments have been made and made and broken and broken. >> the former u.n. secretary general has been calling on the assad administration to comply with the truce plan by withdrawing troops from urban areas and halting the use of heavy weapons. u.n. officials say more than 9,000 people have been kindle syria over the past year. a philippine naval ship and

several chinese fishing boats remain locked in a standoff in disputed waters in the south china sea. the philippine patrol vessel approached eight chinese fishing boats on tuesday at the scarborough shoal, about 230 kilometers west of luzon island. an inspection of the fishing boats by filipino sailors uncovered illegally collected coral and seashells. when the sailors tried to detain the boat's crew members they were obstructed by two chinese surveillance ships that positioned themselves between the warship and the boats. the philippine's foreign affairs secretarial better del rosario summoned the chinese ambassador to the ministry to launch a protest. >> we have sovereignty and sovereign rights over sc scarborough shoal. >> however, he said the government is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue. the philippines and china both claim territorial rights over the scarborough shoal. the two countries are also in

dispute over the spratly islands which lie south of the shoal. the philippines is promoting development of resources in several areas of the south china sea, a move china strongly opposes. the asia development bank released its economic outlook for the asia pacific region on wednesday. the forecast, strong growth in 2012 at a slightly slower pace. nhk world's yuko funasaki reports from hong kong. >> according to the economic outlook for 2012, despite a weak global economy, developing asia will continue to have steady growth. it covers economies in 44 countries and territories in the asia pacific region, excluding japan, other advanced countries. it says growth will average 6.9% in 2012, slightly slower than

last year's 7.2%, but the bank expects the region to bounce back again in 2013 with the growth of 7.3%. the chief economist at adb says exporters to u.s. and europe may suffer a sharp decline in business, but he believes this should be offset by the spending power of middle class. he says europe's debt problems remain the biggest external risk. >> if the -- that will mean that this crisis will not be contained in the eurozone alone. it will spread to the u.s., japan and then it will spread out to asia. the asian economy heavily depends on export and really rely on the international currency to create this export and this is very important. >> reporter: lee also warns of the threat posed by the gap between rich and poor.

it has widened significantly in the last two decades. >> ironically, the same factors which contribute to the high growth in asia is contributing to the rising equalities, and i think the major reason is the change of technical progress. the rising wage difference is across educated versus non-educated people and the declining labor share in total incomes and then rising disparities across the regions. so that's why we are saying that now policymaker has addressed these three key factors. >> reporter: he says the bridge in the gap between the haves and have-nots is crucial for maintaining the economy in asia. it is time for the government to implement policies that share the benefits of development. nhk world, hong kong.

now, let's take a look at the market figures. judged by its cover, this looks simple enough, and we see the back is more complex. it starts with a tsunami that

suit short the life of a young girl and includes a father who was determined to preserve his daughter's memory. >> the book is called "yuna," the name of the girl who went missing march 11th, 2011. she was 7 years old at the time. customers are drawn to the child on the cover. >> translator: when i look at this book, i feel as if this girl is still out and about. i can't believe she isn't here. >> reporter: the book is the work of yuna's father. it was published a year after the disaster. >> memories gradually fade away, especially for children. i don't want anyone to forget yuna and thought the book might help cultivate new friends for

her. >> reporter: yuna lived in ok okumatown, site of the nuclear plant and entry has been restricted since the accident. her home was destroyed by the tsunami. only her father and his daughter survived. the bodies of his wife were eventually recovered and yuna is still listed as missing. last july, he was given permission to enter okuma. he picked through the debris, searching for a memory he could hold on to. he found many pictures in the mud. the grieving father was seized by a new emotion, a fear that yuna's young friends would start to forget her. determined to preserve her memory, he decided to self-publish a book. he brought the photographs to a publishing company in tokyo.

yuna was always cheerful and active. alongside her photos, he put down things she had said. words and expressions that remained fixed in his mind. yuna talks directly to the reader. i will be number one! it's all right. many poses show the girl's determination. kimora says it looks like his daughter is trying to cheer him up. the book was published on february 25th. on that day, he finally organized a funeral for yuna and his other family members.

we will never forget you. more than anything else, these are the word kimora wanted to hear. >> yuna's friends said this book allows them to keep her memory by their side forever. when i hear that, i feel it was great that i made this book. i'm so happy it will help yuna live in people's hearts. >> part of the profits from the books will be donated. the money will go to a group that helps children affected by the disaster. well, the first underground railway in asia is getting a makeover. people have been riding the tokyo metro ginza line since the 1920s and over the decades it's gone through some changes, but this latest renewal is a tribute to the past. nhk world's rina nakano shows us.

♪ ♪ >> reporter: this might seem like deja vu, but it's not. still, the new train on tokyo's ginza line, lemon yellow body, chocolate brown roof, and boxy design looks a lot like the old train. >> translator: it resembles the one i rode many years ago. it brings back memories. >> reporter: tokyo metro designers and engineers found inspiration from the past. 1927, to be exact. the year the line's first train made its debut. back then thousands of people waited for more than two hours to experience this state-of-the-art technology for just five minutes. the train rode the rails for 40 years and then it became a museum piece. the new train featured the same

yellow, a reminder of a time when workers needed to paint trains that color for better visibility underground. >> but not everything about this new metro is retro. on the inside it's outfitted with up-to-date technology. led lights that cut 40% of electricity for lighting and super energy efficient, air-conditioning systems and a 17-inch flat screen display. this unique mix of past and present has both riders and designers excited for the future. >> translator: by bringing back this design i feel close to the older generation. >> i think it looks pretty cool. >> translator: i hope the older folks can recall the memories they made here 85 years ago and make new ones with their grandchildren on this train.

>> metro officials think by early 2017 all 38 trains on the ginza line will get this retro metro look. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >> i'd like to check that out. rachel ferguson joins now with the forecast. it was a little rainy yesterday and i was a little sad to see the pink cherry blossoms flying off. tell me it will be a nice day today. >> it is absolutely going to be a nice day today. 21 degrees and a system for tokyo and pulling away right now and leaving behind clear spring conditions. however, back across the continent, it will be a little different story. lots of rain moving into eastern china here and southeastern portions hit with pretty heavy

precipitation and about 100 millimeters in a 24 hour period. a little further towards the west, bangladesh and northweste northeastern india, remember they were experiencing very heavy rain earlier in the week and lighter showers that lingered so this heavy rain is falling on already saturated land and will increase the landslides and flooding. temperature-wise, low 20s to mid-20s across the region. tokyo e, 21 and 15 in seoul and 15 in yeuland further north and 36 degrees in bangkok, a steamy day and 34 in manila. down in the southern plain, we have another front here, another storm moving towards the west will expand thursday to friday, bringing precipitation to much of the western half of the united states. we even had reports of a tornado touching down in california,

which is really quite a rare occurrence. the sierra nevada experiencing more significant winter precipitation, 65 meters additional snowfall thursday to friday accompanied by strong gusts which could certainly make travel dangerous in those mountain passes. as we head towards the east, things are looking nice and clear, however, your overnight will bring freeze warnings and watches. daytime highs moderate to seasonal averages, 14 in chicago and 16 in new york city and 17 degrees in winnipeg with that storm system as it moves north bringing warm winds from the south with it, a matter of days ago, winnipeg's high was about the freezing point. a big jump there. heading to europe, lots of unsettled weather scattered about the continent, particularly in central and western locations. the haven't is in northern

spain, some of that is snow, also in parts of scandinavia and more heavy showers in northern parts of italy. temperatures not too bad, moderating particularly in these. 15 degrees, 10 in stockholm and london, 11 degrees and a little cooler than we've been seeing in the iberian peninsula, 15 in madrid and 17 in lisbon as the cold front moves in. here's your extended forecast.

that wraps up this edition

of news line. i'm catherine kobayashi. i'm catherine kobayashi. do stay with us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com north korea tv. or pour first look is thr that brought togt pteenagers from eight asia countries animation and other media are inspire i inspiring them. and another project inspired

them and checked out events around japan, thailand and turkey. next, we present two documentary s that continue coverage of last year's march 11th earthquake and tsunami. immediately after the earthquake, an nhk reporter in a coastal town was able to capture 38 minutes of footage from the evacuation to the desperate search for. >> tim: survivors. one year later, he returned to discover the fates of the people he filmed. in another tsunami swept town, the surviving local officials are struggling to relocate them to higher ground. and we document